Former MSU Star Brind'Amour on Brink of Another Stanley Cup

The former Michigan State hockey star is on the brink of winning hockey's ultimate prize.

Oct 24, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour on his bench against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. | Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

One former Michigan State hockey star is on the verge of hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour currently is in control of a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup against the Vegas Golden Knights. Brind'Amour played in college at MSU during the 1988-89 season before having a 20-season NHL career with 1,184 points.

Schedule Ahead for Brind'Amour, Carolina

Jun 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour speaks during the press conference after the game against the Vegas Golden Knights in game one of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Hurricanes will have their first close-out opportunity on Sunday in Las Vegas. Puck drop there is set for 8 p.m. ET on ABC. If the Golden Knights were to force a Game 7, the series would swing back to Carolina. That game would be on Wednesday, June 17, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC as well.

If Carolina were to finish off the series, it wouldn't be the first time Brind'Amour has won a Stanley Cup. He was the captain of the Hurricanes when they last won the Cup back in 2006. Brind'Amour has been Carolina's head coach since May 2018.

Brind'Amour's Year at MSU

Mar 26, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour gestures on the bench against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh won 4-1. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

That '88-89 team Brind'Amour was on was pretty good. Michigan State finished the season at 37-9-1 overall and 25-6-1 during CCHA regular-season play. It won both the CCHA's regular-season and tournament titles. MSU lost its national semifinal game in overtime to Harvard that season, though it did beat Maine in the third-place game.

Brind'Amour, who had gone ninth overall in the 1988 NHL Draft to the St. Louis Blues, was on the CCHA's All-Rookie team. He was fifth on the team in points with 59, scoring 27 goals with 32 assists in 42 total games.

Mar 16, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour talks to hos players during a break in the action against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Brind'Amour was also known for spending huge amounts of time in the gym. He worked out so much that he got the nickname "Rod the Bod," and head coach Ron Mason sometimes had to lock Brind'Amour out of the gym entirely.

Several of Brind'Amour's teammates were notable on that 1988-89 team, as well. Kip Miller tied for the team lead in points that season with 77 after scoring 32 goals and 45 assists. Miller became the first Hobey Baker Award recipient in Michigan State history one year later. He and Bobby Reynolds actually shared the NCAA Scoring Champion title in '88-89. Miller won it again in '89-90 with a whopping 101 points.

Nov 11, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour looks on from behind the players bench against the Washington Capitals during the first period at Lenovo Center. | James Guillory-Imagn Images

Danton Cole was also Brind'Amour's teammate. He eventually became MSU's head coach for five seasons from 2017-22. Those years aren't regarded as the brightest in Spartan history. Michigan State finished dead last in the Big Ten four times during Cole's tenure.

His firing led to Adam Nightingale's hiring, though. Now, the Spartans have won three straight Big Ten regular-season championships.